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The Shotgun Blog
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Saturday, November 03, 2012
Albertans don't want to pay for new Detroit-Windsor bridge
When Prime Minister Stephen Harper balked over the summer at an International Monetary Fund (IMF) invitation to participate in a $430-billion rescue package for Europe, many taxpayers cheered. They could be forgiven for thinking the PM had at last kicked the nasty bailout habit he picked up in 2008.
The celebration, however, may be premature.
That's because Harper appears to be as big a believer in the benefits of bailouts now as he was in the wake of the financial crisis when he bailed out the auto industry and tapped Canadian Mortgage Housing Corporation (CMHC) to relieve the banks of billions in mortgages. So great is his belief in Keynesian-style stimulus schemes that he's now executing a bailout in another country even as he rightfully says "no" to Europe.
Word of this latest stimulus scheme came in June with the announcement Canada and Michigan had struck a deal to build the New International Trade Crossing (NITC), a bridge that would compete with the privately-owned Ambassador Bridge for the declining traffic crossing the Detroit River.
According to the plan, Canada will float Michigan $550-million to cover the state's entire share of the project. On top of committing an additional $1.5-billion for supporting road work in Ontario, the federal government will also be on the hook for all land acquisition costs in Michigan. In total, Canadians taxpayers could be on the hook for $4-billion, assuming no cost overruns.
The Detroit Free Press's editorial board put this deal in the correct perspective: "It's as if the PM is buying our state a first-class ticket and throwing in the frequent flyer points."
"Canada believes in Michigan's future more than most Michiganders do. Why else would the Canadian government agree to front all of the money, and incur all of the risk, to pay for road improvements that will be made wholly inour state?"
Albertans seem to be asking the same questions.
A recent poll commissioned by Enquirica Research and conducted by Dr. Faron Ellis of the Citizens Society Research Lab reveals Albertans – from whose oil patch much of the largess for the prime minister's spending spree in Michigan is coming – don't like the NITC plan. Albertans surveyed support private sector participation in infrastructure and oppose the plan by the federal government to fully fund the new bridge.
Fewer than one in five (17.0 per cent) Albertans believe that the federal government should fund infrastructure projects that directly compete with private sector projects. Slightly more than one-third (36.3 per cent) believe that the federal government should only fund projects if no private sector option exists. A further one-third (34.5 per cent) prefer private-public partnerships while the remaining 12.2 per cent would prefer no federal funding for infrastructure, leaving all projects to be funded through the private sector.
The Citizen Society Research Lab study also revealed that when considered within the context of other possible federal government funding options, like much needed improvements to Alberta's Highway 63, a new Detroit-Windsor bridge has very little support, only 3.9 per cent. When considered independently from other possible federal government funding options, a clear majority of Albertans (56.2 per cent) still remain opposed to proposal.
With little support from Albertans, why would the Harper government take the historically unprecedented step of bailing out a state in a wealthy developed nation?
The answer from the federal government is that a new bridge will increase trade and create jobs. But will it? In Economics in One Lesson, a classic primer on economics published in 1946, Henry Hazlitt wrote "If the bridge cost $10 million the taxpayers will lose $10 million. They will have that much taken away from them which they would have otherwise spent on the things they needed most. Therefore, for every job created by the bridge project, a private job has been destroyed somewhere else."
With respect to enhancing North-South trade, industry sources say traffic is already down on the existing, privately-owned Ambassador Bridge, part of a drop that began well before 911 and tracks the secular decline of the auto industry.
While the NITC bridge and infrastructure proposal looks like a bad deal for Canada, for Michigan Harper's generosity is a bonanza. Canadian taxpayers' $550-million will leverage another $2-billion from the U.S. federal government for road construction. It will liberate the state's road budget for yet more road projects, help pay off its own $80-billion debt, and bail out bankrupt Detroit with $80-million.
Harper may wisely have declined to bail out Europe this summer. But the PM would be also be wise to heed the opinion of people in his home province and forget about a bailout for Detroit.
Matthew Johnston is the President and CEO of Enquirica Research.
via Troy Media
Posted by Matthew Johnston on November 3, 2012 | Permalink
The comments to this entry are closed.


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Frequently Asked Questions About the TOEIC Bridge™ Test
- What is the TOEIC Bridge™ test?
It is a paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice test that measures basic listening and reading English-language skills used in an everyday context by beginning and mid-level learners. Educators and employers use the test to assess English-language skill levels for academic or workplace purposes.
Developed by Educational Testing Service (ETS), the TOEIC Bridge test is based on more than 40 years of English-language assessment experience worldwide.
- Who uses it?
- language schools
- universities
- colleges
- corporations
- manufacturing companies
- small businesses
- government agencies
- Why do they use it?
- Schools and employers use the test to guide placement decisions.
- Educators use the test to monitor students' progress and show them how to improve their English-language skills.
- Schools use the test to evaluate their English-language programs.
- Test takers use the test to demonstrate their English-language proficiency.
- Students use the test to set their own learning goals.
- Who takes the test?
- beginning and mid-level learners of English
- individuals taking introductory or basic commercial English-language courses
- people who use everyday English-language skills for school or work
- entry-level and junior employees who want to measure their English-language skills
- Why take the test?
The test is a widely accepted assessment of English-language proficiency of early to mid-level learners. It enables test takers to:
- show instructors or employers they are prepared for success at the next academic or workplace level
- be placed at appropriate levels within a program
- establish personal language-learning goals and monitor their progress
- learn which areas they need improvement in
- Where can I take the test?
Schools, corporations and other organizations usually arrange TOEIC Bridge testing for their students or employees. If testing has not been arranged by your organization, please contact your local ETS Preferred Network office to find out where you can take the test.
- When can I take the test?
If the test is not given by your school or organization, please contact your local ETS Preferred Network office to find out the dates and locations for taking the test.
- How much does the test cost?
TOEIC Bridge test prices vary in different parts of the world. To find out about prices in your area, contact your local ETS Preferred Network office.
- What are the contexts of the test questions?
These are some examples of the settings and situations you may find in TOEIC Bridge test items:
- Activities — hobbies, sports, daily routines, free-time activities
- Dining out — lunches, dinners, restaurants, reservations
- Entertainment — cinema, theater, music, art exhibitions, museums, sports, games
- Family and friends — family members, activities with friends, invitations, pets
- General business — sales, conferences, training, bills, banking, appointments, advertising
- General ideas — feelings, likes and dislikes, small talk, general courtesy
- Health — doctors, dentists, clinics, hospitals, general health and health care
- Housing — apartments, houses, farms, buying and renting, repairs
- Offices — letters, memos, telephones, fax and e-mail messages, office equipment and furniture, office procedures
- News — weather forecasts, news programs, newspapers
- School — classes, classrooms, subjects, teachers, students, books, homework
- Shopping — groceries, clothes, purchases
- Travel — directions, trains, airplanes, taxis, buses, ships, ferries, tickets, schedules, station and airport announcements, car rentals, hotels, reservations

subset: commoncrawl


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Arizona covers 113,909 square miles, with about 350 square miles of water surface. The state has three main topographical areas: (1) a high plateau averaging between 5,000 and 7,000 feet in elevation in the northeast; (2) a mountainous region oriented southeast to northwest with maximum elevations between 9,000 and 12,000 feet about mean sea level; and (3) low mountain ranges and desert valleys in the southwestern portion of the state. From the White Mountain area across the Mogollon Rim to the San Francisco Peaks lies an unbroken stand of Ponderosa Pine. The Kaibab Plateau north of the Grand Canyon continues this timbered strip into southern Utah. The highest point in the state is Humphreys Peak, located northwest of Flagstaff, with an elevation of 12,611 feet. Baldy Peak, in the White Mountains of eastern Arizona, is the second highest in the state with an elevation of 11,490 feet. The desert valleys of southwestern Arizona are an extension of the Sonora Desert of Mexico, with elevations as low as about 100 feet above sea level in the Lower Colorado River Valley.
The higher elevations of the state, running diagonally from the southeast to the northwest, average between 25 and 30 inches of precipitation (rain plus melted snow) annually, while the desert southwest averages as low as three or four inches per year. The plateau country in the northeastern corner of the state receives approximately 10 inches of precipitation annually. Since vegetation in this area consists of sagebrush and native grasses, it is used primarily for grazing. Higher ridges here are covered with junipers and pinion trees.
Nearly the entire state is in the Colorado River drainage basin which empties into the Gulf of California. The world famous Grand Canyon lies within the state, extending southwestward some 217 miles from the junction of the Little Colorado with the main stream. The Grand Canyon varies in width from 4 to 18 miles, and depths from the rim to the river bed range from 2,700 to as much as 5,700 feet. This is an outstanding example of arid or semiarid land erosion by a major river whose source is in a more rainy area.
Cold air masses from Canada sometimes penetrate into the state, bringing temperatures well below zero in the high plateau and mountainous regions of central and northern Arizona. The lowest readings can dip to 35 degrees F below zero. High temperatures are common throughout the summer months at the lower elevations. Temperatures over 125 degrees F have been observed in the desert area. Great extremes occur between day and night temperatures throughout Arizona. The daily range between maximum and minimum temperatures sometimes runs as much as 50 to 60 degrees F during the drier portions of the year. During winter months, daytime temperatures may average 70 degrees F, with night temperatures often falling to freezing of slightly below in the lower desert valleys. In the summer the pine-clad forests in the central part of the state may have afternoon temperatures of 80 degrees F, while night temperatures drop to 35 or 40 degrees F.
The length of the growing season (period between freezes) varies tremendously over Arizona, averaging less than three months in some of the higher areas in the northern and eastern portions of the state. On the other hand, lower desert valleys sometimes have several years in succession without freezes.
Precipitation throughout Arizona is governed to a great extent by elevation and the season of the year. From November through March, storm systems from the Pacific Ocean cross the state. These winter storms occur frequently in the higher mountains of the central and northern parts of the state and sometimes bring heavy snows. Snow accumulation may rach depths of 100 inches or more during the winter. The gradual melting of this snow during the spring serves to maintain a supply of water in the main rivers of the state. Reservoirs on these streams supply water to the desert areas in the lower Salt River Valley and the lower Gila River Valley areas, which are extensively farmed.
Summer rainfall begins early in July and usually lasts until mid-September. Moisture-bearing winds sweep into Arizona from the southeast, with their source region in the Gulf of Mexico. Another important source of moisture for southern Arizona is the Gulf of California. Summer rains occur in the form of thunderstorms which result largely from excessive heating of the ground and the lifting of moisture-laden air along main mountain ranges. Thus, the heaviest thunderstorms are usually found in mountainous regions of the central and southeastern portions of Arizona. These thunderstorms are often accompanied by strong winds and brief periods of blowing dust prior to the onset of rain. Hail occurs rather infrequently.
The average number of days with measurable precipitation per year varies from near 70 in the Flagstaff area to 15 at Yuma. A large portion of Arizona is classed as semiarid and long periods often occur with little or no precipitation. The air is generally dry and clear, with low relative humidity and a high percentage of sunshine. April, May and June are the months with the greatest number of clear days, while July and August, as well as December, January, and February have the cloudiest weather and lowest percent of possible sunshine. Humidities, while low when compared to most other states, are higher throughout much of Arizona during July and August, which is the thunderstorm season. Annual average humidity values based on four readings per day range from 55% at Flagstaff to around 33% at Yuma. Yearly averages of percent of possible sunshine range from 86% to 92%. Due to high temperatures, the dryness of the air, and the high percentage of sunshine, evaporation rates in Arizona are high. Mean annual lake evaporation varies from about 80 inches in the southwestern part of the state to about 50 inches in the northeast. Phoenix averages about 72 inches and Tucson 70 inches per year.
Flood conditions occur infrequently, although heavy thunderstorms during July and August at times cause floods that do considerable local damage. Floods on the main rivers are mostly limited to the upper basins above storage dams. Flooding in populated areas is rare. Heaviest runoff usually occurs in connection with the arrival of moist tropical air which has its origin in hurricanes that dissipate as they reach land. Heavy rains associated with these systems usually come during August or September, but are likely to occur on the average of once every ten years. High winds accompanying heavy thunderstorms during July and August sometimes reach peak gusts of about 100 miles per hour in local areas, while tornadoes are reported on the average of abut once a year.
There are more than one million acres of land devoted to agriculture in the state. Nearly one-half of this lies in Maricopa County and about one-quarter in Pinal County. Yuma County is the third largest agricultural county, with about 18% of the total acreage in the state. Water for irrigation in the Phoenix area is obtained from storage reservoirs behind Roosevelt Dam on the Salt River, from Horseshoe Dam and Bartlett Dam on the Verde, Carl Pleasant Dam on the Agua Fria, and Coolidge Dam on the Gila River. The Yuma area receives its water from the Colorado River. Pumping of water from wells is common in quite a few of the desert valleys. Extended drought periods sometimes cause curtailment of farming due to lowered water reserves.
Agricultural activities in Arizona include cattle and sheep raising. Some dry-farming is done in Yavapai and Coconino Counties and in the central mountain valleys of the state. This dry-farming is limited primarily to the raising of grains and pinto beans, as well as some fruit. Irrigated crops in the desert valley areas are the most important in the economy of the state. Cotton, alfalfa, grain, citrus fruit, melons, head lettuce, and many truck vegetables are grown throughout the year.
Numerous national monuments furnish recreational facilities throughout Arizona. Winter sports are popular in some of the mountainous regions of the state: the Snow Bowl near Flagstaff is one of the more well known winter sports areas. Forests throughout central Arizona provide hunting of elk, deer, and wild turkey, while desert areas are abundant in smaller game which includes javelina and desert mule deer as well as quail and dove. Fishing is practiced throughout the year in the mountain streams and in numerous reservoirs, as well as in the Colorado River.
The climate has attracted numerous large industrial concerns, particularly in the Salt River Valley. A number of automobile and farm machinery manufacturers have established proving grounds in Arizona, in order to take advantage of the diversity of climate within relatively short distances.
Winter vegetables, particularly head lettuce, find ready markets throughout the country from November through March. Cantaloupe and melon crops find nationwide distribution during the spring months, thus providing fresh vegetables and melons prior to the availability of those products at cities in more northern latitudes.
Mild winter temperatures and the absence of snowfall in the desert areas of southern Arizona attract many winter tourists. The tourist business has proved to be of real economic significance, particularly to the larger metropolitan areas of southern Arizona. The South Rim of the Grand Canyon proves a very popular attraction throughout the entire year. The Grand Canyon is served by rail and air, and roads are kept open to the South Rim throughout the winter months.


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Installation and Configuration of Ghostscript
Ghostscript is needed by Scribus for two purposes, namely the print preview (File > Print Preview) and the rasterisation of EPS files in image frames. If you don't need one of those features, you can safely ignore the warning message displayed by Scribus in case Ghostscript isn't installed.
Contrary to some reports in the press, Ghostscript is not required for PDF or EPS export, since Scribus has its own code to handle this feature.
Recommended/required Ghostscript versions
Generally speaking, you want to have the latest ghostscript you can find. You should find anything since 8.60 to be serviceable, but as of this writing the current version is 8.71. As far as we know, you cannot go wrong by potentially having some "too far advanced" version of Ghostscript.
Installing Ghostscript as a binary on Linux/UNIX
This is by far the most sensible way. Most of the "mainstream" Linux distros will have Ghostscript in their repositories, so if you don't have it, simply search for it. If you don't know how to work with your repositories, you might as well forget about Ghostscript, since you have or are going to have far more important issues than that.
A particular advantage of the repository method is that once you install it, it will keep itself up to date.
Building Ghostscript from source on Linux/UNIX
Download the latest tarball
Ok, so let's imagine you want your own custom-built Ghostscript, or you're using some flavor of Linux that you're experimenting with that doesn't have repositories.
Go here: http://www.ghostscript.com/download/
where you can find links to whichever version you want to build. What you see there are 3 choices, ending with .tar.gz, .tar.xz, or .tar.bz2. You only need to choose one of these. The tar part means that the file was tarred, in which a number of files are collected together into one file. The other part, gz, xz, or bz2 means the file was then compressed to shrink its size.
About checksums: It's always a good idea to check the validity of anything like this that you download. If nothing else, there may have been an error occur, which leads to a failed compiling and wastes your time. Once you download your file, you can run a checksum on it, which makes a calculation on the contents of the file, then creates an alphanumeric sequence that should match whichever checksum corresponds to your file from the list. Again, you should have these in your system, either the sha1sum or md5sum utilities ends up with the corresponding result: sha1sum filename.tar.gz (for example) or md5sum filename.tar.gz should produce the sequence you see. If not, something went wrong with the download or the file has been tampered with. |
You must have the tar utility, almost certain with Linux whether you realize it or not. In a console of some sort type:
tar -zxvf filename.tar.gz
tar -Jxvf filename.tar.xz
tar -jxvf filename.tar.bz2
depending on which one you downloaded. The z or the J or the j option uncompresses the file so that then it can be extracted with the x option. The v and f options cause verbose output and indicate that what follows is a filename of the archive.
What you should now have is a directory named ghostscript-8.71. Now,
cd ghostscript-8.71 to enter the directory
then run
After make finishes its work, then you run, as root:
make install
On some systems you can become root by running su and then supplying root's password. On others, you might run sudo make install in which case you supply your own password if you have privileges to run sudo.
Installing Ghostscript on Windows
Download resources
Go here: http://www.ghostscript.com/download/
We're going to assume that you have no interest in compiling on Windows, or that if you did you would not need instructions for the process.
If you go farther down the page, past the archived files, past the checksums, you will find links for 32-bit and 64-bit Windows versions. Simply download one of these and run it to install Ghostscript. If you do this before you install Scribus, chances are Scribus will find Ghostscript unless you choose a nonstandard location when Ghostscript was installed.
If it doesn't, go to File > Preferences > External Tools to browse for your Ghostscript (gs) executable. Remember to choose the gswin32c.exe or gswin64c.exe executable depending on your processor's version of Windows.
Installing Ghostscript on Mac OS X
Ghostscript .pgk
If you don't know about Brew or MacPorts you should install Ghostscript by donwloading a .pkg installer, double clicking it and following the instructions.
For Mac OS X you should get a Ghostscript installer from:
At the time of writing the current version is Ghostscript 9.23, but you might find newer versions.
Home Brew
If you use Home Brew to manage your packages, just:
brew install ghostscript
If you use MacPorts, simply:
port install ghostscript


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The inner part of Ara Damansara away from the slightly more glamorous Oasis Square area used to be quite a bit of hidden area of PJ that's not exactly a gem. There were a few less than interesting kopitiam, and an ill fated then-new commercial area by the name of New Ze Xui that eventually died a natural death. It was quite sad, and I know that full well as I used to stay at the nearby Crimson Apartment when I first moved to KL for work.
Well, that all matters little when the owner of Jatujak Bangkok Street Food decided to set up shop and provided a little spark to the area, I suppose you could call it a hidden gem.
Jatujak Bangkok Street Food at Ara Damansara
Being located at this part of PJ with little else going has its benefits, especially when it comes to parking. The shop itself too get to occupy quite a decent alfresco area since there isn't any other competition nearby, which all translate to a good start to any dining experience.
Haze and I paid our first visit there a couple weeks ago when we met up with Lance for our first, and his second dinner in the same day at the same place. It's always a good sign when someone is game to visit the same place more than once on the same week, much less the same day.
salt grilled tilapia, petai prawn, clear soup tomyam
The menu at Jatujak is quite extensive, they have a good selection of seafood, tomyam, otak otak, and other typical Thai "tai chao" style food, as well as grilled items, and even pork dishes.
For dinner, we ordered four dishes to go with rice, and a few desserts to boot. All our main dishes came within 5-10 minutes despite the crowd, something that few restaurants manage to deliver, I was very impressed to say the least.
The salt grilled tilapia (RM 39) was our main dish, the fish properly prepared just the way you'd find by the streets of Bangkok, and we didn't need to wait for 20+ minutes like we did at Tigerlily, and I thought it was actually a more than decent dish.
grilled cockles, this was really awesome
Clear tomyam soup (RM 22) was proper hot and did not disappoint, while the petai prawn (RM 30) could perhaps use more petai than prawns, but my favorite dish turned out to be the grilled cockles (RM 10), which reminds me of the good times back in the days at Nong & Jimmy, the cockles would go really really well with a cold beer or three.
iced coconut original, with red ruby, and with mango
We completed our dinner with a dessert each – coconut shake with ice cream (RM 8), coconut ruby (RM 12), and ice coconut mango (RM 12). Each came in their proper coconut shell as container and were proper rich, sweet, and have their shaved iced so fine they were silky smooth.
I guess it's no wonder this is one of Lance's favorite place to dine, and I believe it is also a place I'd revisit pretty soon.
Jatujak @ Siam Bangkok Street Food
B-G-31 Blk B, Jalan PJU 1a/3j,
Taipan Damansara 1 Ara Damansara,
47301 Petaling Jaya, Selangor
Tel: 03-7859 6359


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If you're are in search of the best vinyl flooring services and carpet flooring services, A1 Flooring Fox Hollies is here to help. We have everything you need to create the perfect look for your home or business with a range of premium-quality flooring solutions, including carpets, wood floors, vinyl and hard floors, and rugs and mats. In addition, our team of flooring experts is dedicated to providing exceptional service and ensuring your satisfaction throughout the entire process.
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Eleanor Holmes Norton just can't help herself. Everything is seen through the prism of color to her.
"We're not sure this president is ever going to nominate another African- American to the court," Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-D.C.) said. "He's African-American. We've got someone who proposes to be African-American on the court,"
She of course is referring to Justice Thomas; who was born into abject poverty in the south during segregation, and is now a Supreme Court justice. His parents more or less left the scene when he was very young, and was raised by his grandparents. His grandfather taught him to work hard and pressed him to get an education. He was hardly handed anything, he worked for what he achieved.
This is just yet another example of the lunatic left making everything about race. You are a traitor if you happen to be black and don't want the government to take care of everything for you. If you dare to work hard and let that be its own reward. You have something wrong with you if you see color when choosing a spouse.
While I was looking for the exact quote I came upon this blog. Now the blog that I came upon was not at all sticking up for Norton's comments, but his readers didn't seem to agree with how wrong and racist her comments are. This is one of the biggest problems with the left. They want everyone to give somebody something because they are incapable of taking care of themselves. They can't possibly overcome hurdles on their own. Everybody is owed something. When a person of color and stands up and to say give me only what I earned by hard work they somehow sell out their race. It is sad, truly sad. The victimhood continues.
He's married to a white woman that represents the Tea Party Movement. Need I say more?
I, however, love Eleanor Holmes Norton and I think she gave Justice Thomas all the respect he deserves. I find the supposed insult … tasteful and not at all shocking … and true.
Thomas has a a long history of trading on race when it souits him and then basically closing the door to other African-Americans behind him (e.g., his stint in the Reagan Administration). There's nothing wrong with what Norton said. It would seem a little patronizing if a white liberal said it, but Norton isn't a white liberal. And unlike Thomas, she was part of the civil rights movement and a protege of Bayard Rustin. Thomas played the role of militant when he was in college and changed his tune afterward. his commitment to African-Americans other than himself is neglibible and its not like Norton pointed out other non-Black aspects of his like such as his Caucasian wingnut wife.


text: At Sharp, our work doesn't stop at our award-winning MFPs. We've taken things a step further by building a suite of software applications designed to ease the burden of managing MFPs and to optimize the investment in equipment and personnel required to provide these services. The Sharp Device Management Suite was made with you, the customer, in mind. It's all about making your job easier and faster while reducing the cost of owning Sharp products.


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Gustav VI Adolf
Our editors will review what you've submitted and determine whether to revise the article.
- In full:
- Oscar Fredrik Wilhelm Olaf Gustaf Adolf
- Born:
- Nov. 11, 1882, Stockholm, Swed.
- Died:
- Sept. 15, 1973, Hälsingborg [now Helsingborg] (aged 90)
- Title / Office:
- king (1950-1973), Sweden
- House / Dynasty:
- House of Bernadotte
Gustav VI Adolf, (born Nov. 11, 1882, Stockholm, Swed.—died Sept. 15, 1973, Hälsingborg [now Helsingborg]), king of the Swedes from 1950 to 1973, the last Swedish monarch to hold real political power after constitutional reforms initiated in 1971.
The son of the future king Gustav V and Victoria of Baden, Gustav entered the army in 1902 and by 1932 had risen to the rank of general. His lifelong interest in archaeology began during his studies at the University of Uppsala, and throughout the 1920s he participated in archaeological expeditions in Greece, Italy, and Cyprus. He also excavated and wrote papers on ancient Swedish monuments and was considered an authority on Chinese ceramics, owning one of the world's largest private collections of Asian pottery. At the age of 88, he took part in excavations at Etruscan ruins in Acquarossa, Italy.
Through his first marriage, to Princess Margaret of Connaught, who died in 1920, Gustav had five children, the eldest of whom, Gustav Adolf, duke of Västerbotten, became his heir. In 1923 Gustav married Lady Louise Mountbatten, and in October 1950 he succeeded to the throne. His grandson Carl Gustaf, the son of Gustav Adolf, became crown prince after his father's death in 1947.
In 1965 the Riksdag raised to 25 the age at which a king could begin his rule, and in 1971 it enacted legislation, effective at Gustav's death in 1973, stripping the monarchy of its most important political functions.


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THERMOPOLIS, Wyo. – A car returning to Colorado from a Boy Scout camp veered into an oncoming lane and slammed head-on into a motor home, killing five people and injuring four others, the Wyoming Highway Patrol said.
All four people in the vehicle and a 3-year-old passenger in the motor home were killed in the collision on Highway 120 in northcentral Wyoming, Sgt. Stephen Townsend said.
The other four occupants of the motor home were injured in the crash around 10 a.m. MDT Saturday in Hot Springs County, but their conditions were not immediately available.
The person believed to be the driver was flown to a Billings, Mont., hospital, while the other three were rushed to a Thermopolis hospital, about 35 miles south of the crash site, Townsend said in a news release.
The Honda Element was one of three vehicles carrying a group of Boy Scouts back to the Colorado Springs, Colo., area after spending time at a Scout camp in northwest Wyoming, he said. The other two vehicles were not involved in the crash.
No names or other information about the dead and injured were released, and patrol spokesmen couldn't be reached late Saturday night for further details.
Hot Springs County Sheriff Lou Falgoust told The Billings (Mont.) Gazette that the Scout group had been camping around an area known as Pahaska Teepee.
"The driver of the Honda was around 64 years old," Falgoust said. "They were with a convoy of at least two other vehicles that had made the trip. One was 200 yards ahead and the other was the same distance behind when the accident happened."
The patrol said crash investigators were trying to determine why the car crossed into the oncoming lane.
The motor home had been towing a passenger car.


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Rambler homes provide you with an open yet intimate concept. Here at Walker Home Design we not only provide you with functional living space but allow the curb appeal that you are seeking, with multiple exterior styles and various roof pitches that are sure to catch anyone's eye.
Contact us for questions / modifications you would like to make.


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What different advantages can a curved screen bring to a smartphone? Well, not a whole lot. But Samsung's newest smartphone, the Galaxy Round, comes off as a posh device that may be the company's best looking handset yet.
Earlier this month, the electronics giant unveiled the Android phone, calling it the world's first to feature a curved touchscreen display. It has top-of-the-line specs, and includes a few software features that leverage the phone's curved design.
Most of the world won't see the phone anytime soon. Samsung, for now, only plans on releasing the handset to its home market of South Korea for the whopping price of about US$1,000. On Wednesday, the company made the Galaxy Round available for hands-on use at one of its offices in Seoul.
In a way, you could describe the Round as a curved version of Samsung's Galaxy Note 3, as the two handsets share nearly identical features and the same design style. Both have a full HD 5.7-inch screen, a fast processor, a 13-megapixel rear camera, and even the same leather-like synthetic fiber covering the back.
But despite their similarities, the Galaxy Round feels and looks different. The phone is slightly lighter at 154 grams, as opposed to 168 grams, and is easier to grip with its curved back. It's one benefit of using Samsung's flexible displays, which the company says weigh less than traditional displays. At the same time, the phone feels sturdy and its curves are more pleasing to the eye, when compared to the flat exterior of the Note 3.
Consumers, however, don't have to worry about the phone rolling off a table or even wobbling. The device's display is not as round as its name suggests. The arch is quite subtle, and contours more at the edges. When placed on a table, the Round remains stationary. But due to its curved backing, Samsung included a few software features that activate when a user tilts the phone on its spine.
One of them, called the "Roll Effect", automatically turns the screen on and displays the time and date, when the phone tilts toward the user. A similar feature allows the user to cycle through songs played on the device. A tilt toward the right side will forward to the next track while a tilt toward the left will restart the current song.
When put into practice, the two functions are easily activated, but sometimes it took a harder tilt to cycle through music tracks. Both features, however, can only activate if the phone is laid on a table. A third function works when viewing the phone's image gallery. A soft touch to the screen's center, and a flick of the wrist, will display a sidebar showing the other photo albums stored on the phone.
These so-called "tilt functions" offer nice shortcuts, but they could also easily be incorporated into any Samsung phone. Perhaps the company will do so in the future, but it's likely that most users will look at the features as novelties, much like how the Samsung Galaxy S4 will track facial and eye movements to help the user scroll through websites. Getting them to work on the Round can also take several tries at first.
In terms of looking at the phone's actual screen, the curvature can also be easy to miss. When facing directly at the display, the arch blends in and seems flat. It brings to mind how the electronics industry is also moving to televisions with curved screens. These TVs can arguably offer a wider field of view over traditional flat screens. But in the case of the Galaxy Round, it's hard to notice any difference, given that the phone already has a superb screen with its AMOLED display technology.
Save for the screen, nothing else inside the phone is curved, according to the company. Like other Samsung handsets, the Round's back cover can be removed, and its 2,800 mAh battery easily replaced. It currently comes in a dark "luxury brown" coloring, but a white version will be available in December.
Samsung is staying mum on the future of its curved displays for smartphones. But Tom Kang, an analyst with Counterpoint Research, doesn't believe that phones like the Galaxy Round will reach major volumes until the benefits of the device become more pronounced.
"To create this kind of product, there are lot of changes you have to make to the production line," he said. "When the consumer benefit is not substantially clear, it's not economic to make those changes to your production line."
Samsung seems to also be aware of the challenges, and is only selling the Galaxy Round in limited quantities. But aside from a few unique features, the phone doesn't offer much new in terms of usability. Perhaps only the phone's aesthetics really set it apart, and make it look appealing. While the handset is nice to hold, consumers outside of South Korea aren't missing much from Samsung's newest phone.


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From the IBM Online Training Center (DevX.com) comes a new article covering the integration of PHP into a SOA solution:
With its fast deployment cycles, PHP is ideal for companies short on skilled programming resources and/or facing tight time to market deadlines. PHP's features and benefits are so compelling it should be considered for your SOA solutions.
They talk about the PHP integration kit that IBM offers to make using PHP as simple as plugging in things in the right places and how that would fit in with a "Service Component Architecture" and "Service Data Objects". They even give a simple example of a SCA component that works much like a PHP class.
They wrap up the article with a look at some asynchronous messaging with PHP - using the SAM extension to communicate messages back to the server for common tasks (like putting text messages in a queue).


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President Obama today welcomed His Majesty King Abdullah II of Jordan to the White House, where the two leaders once again discussed the very urgent issues impacting that country, and the rest of the world.
President Obama met with the Jordanian leader last month on his trip to the Middle East, and this afternoon he thanked the King for his "extraordinary" hospitality, and praised his efforts to foster democratization, entrepreneurship and economic development inside Jordan. In remarks to the press before their bilateral meeting, the President said that he believes Jordan can be an "extraordinary model for effective governance in the region."
But the main topic on today's agenda was the ongoing crisis in Syria, including the impact it is having on Jordan, which has seen more than half a million refugees cross their border to escape the violence in their own country. The President addressed the reports that chemical weapons may have been used on the citizens of Syria and promised that the U.S and our partners in the region would pursue a "very rigorous investigation" of the evidence:
We have to act prudently. We have to make these assessments deliberately. But I think all of us, not just in the United States but around the world, recognize how we cannot stand by and permit the systematic use of weapons like chemical weapons on civilian populations.
So this is going to be something that we'll be paying a lot of attention to -- trying to confirm, and mobilize the international community around those issues.
You can watch a video of the President and King Abdullah speaking to the press below or on YouTube:


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January 29, 2013
[berkman] "LOIC [low-orbit ion cannon] will tear us apart": The impact of tool desiogn and media portrayals in the success of activist DDOS attacks
Molly Sauter [twitter:oddletters] (from Berkman and the Center for Civic Media at MIT) is giving a lunchtime Berkman talk. She's going to focus on Operation Payback, the Dec. 2010 action by Anonymous against those financial services that cut off Wikileaks after Wikileaks made available a massive leak of State Dept. cables. Operation Avenge Assange tried to bring down the sites of those services. Molly sees this as an evolution in media activism, expanding on the use of DDOS tactics by groups in the 1990s; [DDOS = distributed denial of service: flooding a site beyond its capacity to respond, and doing so from multiple sites.]
NOTE: Live-blogging. Getting things wrong. Missing points. Omitting key information. Introducing artificial choppiness. Over-emphasizing small matters. Paraphrasing badly. Not running a spellpchecker. Mangling other people's ideas and words. You are warned, people. |
Molly begins with a simple explanation of DDOS. The flooding can come from a single computer (unlikely), via a volunteer botnet, or botnets that infect other computers; the botnets communicate with a central computer, pounding on the target until it can't handle the traffic.
Old school activists think of DDOS as a form of censorship, and thus it is not acceptable. For many digitally-enabled activists (e.g., Electronic Disturbance Theater) DDOS is a form of disobedience. For EDT, DDOS is an auxiliary form of activism: "DDOS is something you do when you're out on the streets so your computer can be at home protesting." DDOS is sometimes seen as a type of sit-in, although Molly thinks this is inapt. For some, DDOS is a direct form of protest, and in others, it's an indirect and symbolic action. Anonymous melds these approaches: influence via technology + influence via media + direct action disruption.
Electronic Disturbance Theater [EDT] used Flood Net, a tool that "hurls bits" but that also lets you send a message to show up in the target computer's error log. Cleverly, if your issue is human rights, the log might read "Human rights is not found on this server." But, Molly says, these logs are only read by the admin, so it's really a way for the activist to yell something for the sake of yelling. The EDT restricted targets of Flood Net and set scheduled times. EDT open sourced it in 1999. The language on the Floor Net site is comprehensible only to people who already know about the issues, e.g., Mexican Neo-Liberalism. It is intimidating for those outside of the circle. It is also very tied to a view of activism that ties actions to individuals â?? anonymous individuals, but using Flood Net requires the action of a person.
LOIC — low orbit ion cannon— was developed maybe around 2006, and forked in 2008. By Dec. 2010, versions could run on just about anything — Windows, Mac, on mobiles, within a browser… Molly goes through the differences in the different versions of it. They let you type in a URL, set some options that are set to defaults, and then you press a button. Done! (LOIC is the boss weapon from the game Command & Conquer). The button you press in the abatishchev version is labeled "IMMA CHARGIN MAH LAZER," a popular meme. It has the same messaging functionality as Flood Net. The default message derives from a 4chan bestiality rape meme that Molly urges us not to google. This version "is focused on the 4chan Anonymous culture set."
She then compares this to the NewEraCracker version. Very similar. Same "Imma chargin mah lazer" meme, but the rape meme is gone. Instead, it says "u done goofed," the popular Jessi Slaughter meme. Jessie pissed off Anonymous, so Anonymous sent lots of pizza to her house. Her father posted a defensive video that wasn't very smart about the Net, which got widely distributed, and which contained the line "you done goofed." This message is more confrontational than the other version which the recipient would be unlikely to understand at all. This version of LOIC also has a "fucking hive mind mode" that lets you automate the process entirely by plugging it into an IRC server to use volunteer computers [I think].
These tools, especially the second, created a community of activists, especially in hive mind mode. There are many LOIC tutorial videos on YouTube. This reaches out to new people to join, unlike EDT's use of language that appeals only to those already in the know. Because anyone can use it, it helps Anonymous become a community of trust.
Anonymous has also pushed DDOS as a media manipulation tactic, and used media for recruitment. Molly doesn't know if it was a conscious decision, but DDOS ended up as a recruitment tactic.
During the four days of Operation Payback, the media coverage was very confused. For example the media weren't sure that DDOS is illegal. (It is.) Even Gizmodo got wrong how risky DDOS is for the attacker; it wrongly claimed that the target's log files don't record the incoming connections during DDOS. Experienced users know to anonymize their packets, but those who came in new and used this easy-to-use tool often did not protect themselves. The Paypal 16 now under indictment were caught because PayPal stored the top 1000 IP addresses. Much of the coverage just quoted Anonymous at length. "Anonymous is a very horizontal org and there's no press person to talk to," but, Molly says, there was a "press IRC channel" but the media didn't know how to use it. Some mainstream articles linked to download sites for LOIC, which may have encouraged people to download it without understanding the legality of using it.
Conclusions: "Operation Payback's success was due to a confluence of tech, community, and news media factors. Anonymous' use of DDOS represent an innovation in participant population and tool design. And Anonymous pushes the reframing of DDOS as a tool of media manipulation and biographical impact [how the participants think about themselves], not direct action."
Q: Is the paypal list public?
A: Nope.
Q: Can you bring your research up to date?
A: I'm writing my thesis now. So, no.
Q: How does being identified play into the historical mindset?
A: I got into this topic because I wanted to do my thesis on activism and anonymity. Anonymous challenges the assumption that if you're anonymous, you're not serious about your activism. The cultural preference for identified activism comes from the 1960s civil disobedience movement, which in turns comes from Thoreau: you break the law and accept punishment for it. But that privileges those who won't lose their house and their family if arrested. This puts activism on the shoulders of a particular class. Anonymous disagrees. It says you can engage in civil disobedience without personal consequence.
Q: The Federalist Papers were anonymous because it implicitly was saying that the ideas are important enough not to need names attached. Anonymous not only escapes punishment, it makes it effortless â?? the amount of effort you put in is indistinguishable from that of someone whose computer was infected by a bot.
A: This is the slacktivism argument. Slacktivism challenges the expectations about what activism does. One version says you're supposed to change something or have a solution. But slacktivism (or clicktivism) is valuable for the biographical impact.
A: Studies have looked into whether eating organic food affects your self image so that you do more, or that you merely congratulate yourself.
A: The ladder of engagement says that the big step is getting on the first rung. My view of slacktivism is that it's widened that run. Pressing the LOIC button gets people started, and I'm in favor of people starting somewhere, when it is in a considered and useful way.
Q: How about The Jester?
A: He's an Army veteran who explicitly aligns his morals with pro-US, anti-jihadist, anti-Anonymous DDOS. He claims to be working by himself. I don't think his actions are ethical because they're about silencing content. [Molly tells us that she has a presentation on DDOS ethics.]
Q: Why is "fuckng hive mind mode" a community? People are donating bandwidth. But the manual mode, where people actively decide to participate in something, is much more like people being in a community. The participants in FHHM don't necessarily view themselves as joining in a community, although the federal govt is claiming that they are.
A: I agree. My point with FHHM was that it opens up ways of accessing that community in ways that were not possible before.
Q: LOIC is hosted at github and sourceforge, and tutorials at YouTube. Any attempts to remove?
A: LOIC and tools like it are listed as "stress-testing" tools. And it can be used that way if you aim it at your own server. It's like a head shop selling a pipe for tobacco. During the four days of the operation, Twitter did try to shut down the Anonymous twitter account.
Q: You seem to be saying that Anonymous is becoming more respectful, shifting out of the "otherized" world of 4chan. Is there quantitative data supporting this?
A: Biella Coleman has done the most research on this. That's where I've gotten my data.
Q: How many people participated?
A: It's been downloaded hundreds of thousands of times.
Q: When an org provides a press contact, a journalist can always orient around that, bounce off of it. But Anonymous doesn't work that way. How does Anonymous' play affect coverage?
A: The media doesn't know how to deal with orgs like Anon and Occupy. They just speak with random people, none of who speak for the org (because no one does). The opening of the press IRC channel was great, for those who found it. It let the press engage at length. But Anon is usefully weird, and thus hard for the media.
Q: [me] So, will LOIC tear us apart? Civil disobedients accept consequences in part to raise the bar so that people don't too easily break the law. LOIC lowers that bar. If Anon were attacking services that you like, would you be as sanguine?
LOIC isn't much used now because it's dangerous, and there are new tools. It's hard to take down a site.
Q: As the tools get better?
A: Permanent arms race.
Q: Arrest of Sabu?
A: It won't kill Anonymous.
Date: January 29th, 2013 dw


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Health risk factors among adults Men were more likely to smoke than women (28% and 21% respectively). Men were also more likely to smoke over all age categories than women, with the greatest disparity being among those in younger age groups. For 25-34 year olds (the age group with the highest rate of smoking) 37% of men and 28% of women were current smokers. Adults from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were more likely to smoke than adults from each of the other four socioeconomic areas (graph S9.12). (For a description of the five socioeconomic areas see Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas (SEIFA) in (ABS 1998b).) Adults without a tertiary education were more than twice as likely to smoke (28% in 2001) compared with those with a tertiary qualification (13%). Smoking was also more prevalent among the unemployed. In 2001, 40% of unemployed adults aged 18-64 years smoked compared with 26% of people aged 18-64 years who were employed. Physical inactivity The health benefits of engaging in physical activity are numerous, such as offering protection against some cancers, a reduction in the risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and improvements in mental health (Armstrong et al. 2000). Physical activity may also reduce the risk of injury among older people (Armstrong et al. 2000), reduce body fat and improve musculoskeletal health (WHO 2002). Conversely, physical inactivity increases the risk of developing some cancers such as bowel and breast cancer, coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes and depression, among other conditions (Mathers et al. 1999). In 2001, physically inactive adults were 1.3 times more likely to have coronary heart disease, and 1.2 times more likely to be obese, than those who exercised. This difference was more evident when comparing inactive adults with those who exercised at moderate or high (rather than low) levels. In this case, physically inactive adults were 1.6 times more likely to be obese and 1.7 times more likely to have a high or very high level of psychological distress. In 2001, 32% of the adult population were physically inactive (i.e. they did not undertake deliberate exercise, or did so at a very low level, during the survey reference period). When asked to rate their health, 74% of physically inactive adults considered their health to be better than fair, compared with 81% of the total adult population. In 2001, similar proportions of men and women were physically inactive (31% and 32% respectively). However, men were more likely to exercise at a moderate level (26%) than women (23%), and to exercise at a high level (9%) compared with women (4%). Physical inactivity was highest among people in older age groups with 35% of those between 65-74 years, and 51% of those over 75 years being physically inactive. Of adults aged 45-54 years, 32% were physically inactive. Males were more likely to be physically inactive than females after the age of 25 years and until retirement age (graph S9.13). Lower proportions of males than females were physically inactive between the ages of 18-24 years and among those over 65 years. Physical inactivity was more common among adults from the more disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (graph S9.14). Among adults from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas, 40% were physically inactive compared with 25% of adults from the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas. Overweight and obesity The proportion of people who are either overweight or obese is increasing worldwide (WHO 2000), and despite decreases in the proportion of people who are physically inactive, Australians are also carrying more excess weight. The World Health Organisation recognises that globally there was a decrease in the physical energy people expend in everyday living over the second half of the 20th century (WHO 2000). For example, there is more reliance on motorised transport, and use of labour-saving devices. Changes in the workplace, such as increased use of computers, mean that fewer people now work in physically demanding jobs. Furthermore, there is increased demand for convenience foods which are higher in fat (especially saturated fat) (WHO 2000). People are also more likely now than in the past to participate in leisure activities which involve little, if any, physical activity, such as watching television. In 1997, on average, Australians spent more than half of their free time on such passive leisure activities. Watching television accounted for 36% of all free time (ABS 1998a). Being overweight or obese is associated with a range of illnesses including coronary heart disease, Type 2 diabetes, certain types of cancer, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis and high blood pressure (WHO 2000). Compared with adults within the acceptable weight range (according to the Body Mass Index - BMI), persons aged 18 years and over who were overweight or obese were 1.9 times more likely to have Type 2 diabetes and were 1.6 times more likely to have high blood pressure in 2001. The likelihood increased among those adults who were obese. This group was 2.9 times more likely to have Type 2 diabetes, 2.2 times more likely to have high blood pressure, and 1.5 times more likely to have a form of arthritis. In 2001, more than 6.5 million Australian adults were overweight or obese. Men were more likely to be overweight or obese than women (55% and 38% respectively), with the average weight of Australians being 74.3 kilograms. The proportion of adults who were overweight or obese tended to increase with age, peaking among those aged 55-64 years (59%). This was the case among both males and females (64% and 53% respectively). Men were more likely to be overweight than women (40% and 23% respectively). The prevalence of men being overweight was highest among those aged between 55-64 years (47%), while women between the ages of 65-74 years were most likely to be overweight (32%). However, women were slightly more likely to be obese than men. Men between 45-54 years had the highest prevalence of obesity (19%), while women aged between 55-64 years were most likely to be obese (22%) (graph S9.15). The prevalence of overweight or obesity is higher among certain groups in the population than others. In 2001, 45% of people in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were overweight or obese compared with 43% in the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (graph S9.16). However, people in the middle socioeconomic areas (3rd SEIFA quintile) were most likely to be overweight or obese (49%). Among people who were overweight, 34% of men and 21% of women from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were overweight compared with 39% of men and 23% of women from the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas. Conversely, there was a higher prevalence of obesity among people from the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (18% of men and 19% of women) than among people from the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (12% of men and 11% of women). Adults living outside of capital cities were also more likely to be overweight or obese (49%) than those in the capital cities (45%). Risky or high risk alcohol consumption Despite evidence indicating low to moderate levels of alcohol consumption may protect against some conditions such as hypertension, stroke and ischaemic heart disease, consumption at harmful levels can be directly associated with some cancers, liver disease, pancreatitis, diabetes and epilepsy, and indirectly linked to injuries such as through motor vehicle accidents. In 1998, estimated deaths in Australia attributable to the consumption of alcohol was 3,200 (AIHW 2001a). Recent decades have witnessed a global increase in alcohol consumption, with developing countries being the major contributors. In average volume terms, Europeans and North Americans have the highest consumption, with the Eastern Mediterranean, India, Bangladesh and Nepal being among the lowest (WHO 2002). In 1998, Australia was ranked 19th for per capita alcohol consumption; 9th for beer; 18th for wine and 35th for spirits (AIHW 2001a). In the 2001 NHS, 62% of adults recorded that they consumed alcohol in the reference week, and a further 28% recorded consuming alcohol, but not in the reference week. In 2001, 1.5 million Australian adults (11%) consumed alcohol in risky or high risk amounts. Levels of risky or high risk alcohol consumption was generally constant between the ages of 18-64 years (around 11%), only decreasing after the age of 65 years. Men were more likely to consume alcohol in risky or high risk amounts (13%) compared to women (9%). Risky or high risk alcohol consumption was most prevalent for men between the ages of 55-64 years (15%), while women were most likely to consume alcohol in risky or high risk amounts at younger ages, with 10% of women between the ages of 35-54 years consuming alcohol at this risk level (graph S9.17). The consumption of alcohol at risky or high risk levels differed among certain socioeconomic groups. Overall, people in the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were most likely to consume alcohol at risky or high risk levels (12%). In comparison, the proportion of people in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (graph S9.18) who consumed alcohol in risky or high risk amounts was slightly less (11%). However, men in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were more likely to consume alcohol in risky or high risk amounts than those in the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (14% and 12% respectively). Women in the most disadvantaged socioeconomic areas were less likely to consume alcohol in risky or high risk amounts than those in the least disadvantaged socioeconomic areas (8% and 11% respectively). Health risk factors among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples Since the Indigenous population has a different age structure to the non-Indigenous population, comparisons in health risk behaviour are presented after adjusting for the differences in age structure between the two populations. Smoking Indigenous adults aged 18 years or more were more than twice as likely as non-Indigenous adults to be current smokers (49% compared with 22%). Rates of smoking are similar for both females and males. Sedentary or low levels of exercise Around 70% of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous adults living in non-remote areas in 2001 reported their levels of exercise as either sedentary or low in the two weeks prior to being surveyed, with proportions generally increasing with age. A higher proportion of Indigenous women reported undertaking low or sedentary levels of exercise than Indigenous men (64% and 50% respectively). Overweight or obesity Body mass categories discussed in this paragraph are based on self reported measurements of height and weight. Indigenous Australians aged 15 years or more were more likely (61%) to be classified as overweight or obese when compared with non-Indigenous Australians (48%). The proportion of both Indigenous and non-Indigenous persons, aged 18 years or more and classified as obese, has increased since 1995. Indigenous men and women in each age group were more likely to be classified as obese than non-Indigenous Australians in the same age groupings. Proportions of both Indigenous men and women who were overweight or obese generally increased towards older age groups. Risky or high risk alcohol consumption The age-standardised rates for risky/high risk levels of alcohol consumption for the week preceding the 2001 NHS were similar for both the Indigenous and non-Indigenous populations (12% and 11% respectively). References ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2003, Australian Social Trends, cat. no. 4102.0, ABS, Canberra. ABS 1998a, How Australians Use Their Time, cat. no. 4153.0, ABS, Canberra. ABS 1998b, Information Paper: Census of Population and Housing - Socio-Economic Indexes for Areas, Australia, 1996, cat. no. 2039.0, ABS, Canberra. AIHW 2001a, Australia's Health 2002, AIHW, Canberra. Armstrong, T, Bauman, A & Davies, J 2000, Physical activity patterns of Australian adults. Results of the 1999 National Physical Activity Survey, Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, Canberra. Mathers, C, Vos, T & Stevenson, C 1999, The burden of disease and injury in Australia, AIHW, Canberra. Riddolfo, B & Stevenson, C 2001, The quantification of drug-caused mortality and morbidity in Australia, 1998, AIHW, Canberra. WHO (World Health Organisation) 2000, Obesity: preventing and managing the global epidemic, WHO Technical Series: No. 894, WHO, Geneva. WHO 2002, The World Health Report 2002, WHO, Geneva. Document Selection These documents will be presented in a new window. |


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ELCE2008 Editor Contest
The ELC Europe 2008 Editor Contest was a competition, with a prize for the winner, to see which attendee of ELC Europe 2008 could make the "best" set of edits to the eLinux wiki.
The contest is now closed, and judging was completed. Here are the results:
ELC Europe 2008 Editor Contest
The CE Linux Forum just ran a contest for attendees of the Embedded Linux Conference Europe 2008.
I am happy to announce that the winner of the ELC Europe Wiki Editor Contest is Frans Meulenbroeks. He won his choice of a Playstation 3 video game console or $500 US.
I would like to note that because of their contributions, the following individuals were also offered a gift of $100.
- Will Newton
- Gustavo Barbieri
- Matthias Kaehlcke
This additional gift was not specified in the original rules, but the Architecture Group of CELF thought that the contributions of these individuals was worthwhile and deserving of a reward.
I believe that this contest has been a big success, and plan to conduct similar contests to enhance wiki content in the future. Keep watching the wiki for announcements, and you might be able to participate in one also!
Simple Instructions
- Create a user account on the eLinux.org wiki
- Add or edit pages on this site
- CELF will decide which user has made the "best" set of edits, and will award a prize to the person making the edits.
The winner will receive, at their option:
- A new Sony Playstation 3 game console
Here are the rules for the contest:
- The contest runs from November 6, 2008 until November 20, 2008 (2 weeks from the start of the conference)
- In order to receive credit for your entries, you must make them as a logged-in user. The user name on the account must be matchable to a registered attendee of the Embedded Linux Conference Europe. Your e-mail address used to register for the conference will be used to notify you in case you are the winner of the contest.
- You may only add material which is allowed by copyright laws. That is, you may write new material or quote material that is copyrighted by someone else, as allowed by fair use. However, you may not copy verbatim materials from another source unless allowed to do so by an appropriate license.
- Entries will by judged by examining the "Recent changes" log for the eLinux wiki, for the contest period. They will be judged by a panel consisting of members of the CE Linux Forum, with Tim Bird as the judging committee Chair.
- The winner will be notified by e-mail no later than December 4, 2008. Delivery of the prize will be arranged with the award-winner at that time. The award-winner will also be announced on the wiki.
Judging Criteria
The judges will evaluate the edits based on a number of criteria, including:
- the number of edits and/or size of edits
- the originality of the edits or additions
- the quality of the edits, including:
- whether the edits conform to accepted formatting for the wiki
- whether the edits are grammatically and syntactically correct
- how much useful information the edits contribute contribute for other embedded Linux developers
This last criteria ("usefullness") will dominate the evaluation.
I know this is a wiki, but please don't edit this page to change the rules in your favor... :-)


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ACS News Service Weekly PressPac: August 03, 2011
Basis for battery-powered skin patch for wider range of protein-based medicines
Scientists have confirmed the feasibility of using a new drug delivery system — the basis for a battery-powered skin patch — to administer medication that shows promise for treating peripheral artery disease (PAD) and healing stubborn skin ulcers and burns. The needle-free delivery of the medication, which cannot be given by mouth and can have side effects when injected, is reported in the ACS journal, Molecular Pharmaceutics.
Yogeshvar Kalia and colleagues explain that the medication consists of fibroblast growth factors (FGFs), proteins that have shown promise for treating skin conditions and PAD, which causes pain in the legs, buttocks, and feet due to blocked arteries in the legs. However, FGFs become inactive if given by mouth, and their injection can result in kidney and eye damage. The scientists had previously shown that a drug delivery technology called transdermal iontophoresis can deliver medicines made from small proteins. But would the technique, which involves encouraging medicine through the skin with a small electric current, work for larger proteins like FGFs?
Their laboratory tests with samples of human skin and pig skin showed that iontophoresis did work – in contrast, no FGF was delivered without electricity. Four times more medication remained in the skin than passed through which was also an advantage. Most importantly, the medicine remained biologically active in the skin. The results confirm the feasibility of using iontophoresis to deliver medicines consisting of larger proteins, including FGFs, the scientists note.
Science Inquiries: Michael Woods, Editor, 202-872-6293
General Inquiries: Michael Bernstein, 202-872-6042


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Exotic Animal Owners In Ohio Appeal Court Decision
< < Back toExotic animal owners in Ohio are asking a federal appeals court to reconsider its decision that upheld the state's restrictions on exotic animals.
The owners sued the state over the regulations, arguing that the law violates their free speech and free association rights.
A three-judge panel of the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati court ruled against the owners earlier this month.
Ohio says the rules address animal welfare, public health and public safety concerns associated with private ownership of dangerous wild animals.
The new law requires owners to get a new state-issued permit by Jan. 1 of this year. They also must pass background checks, pay fees, obtain liability insurance or surety bonds and show they can properly contain and care for the animal.


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Wolfgang Puck Will Sling Food For George Clooney's Obama Fundraiser
Obama Fundraiser Wolfgang Puck To Sling Food at Clooney's Event
When you're as famous as George Clooney, throwing a mega-fundraiser for someone as famous as the leader of the free world, you want a caterer as famous as Wolfgang Puck.
TMZ has learned ... the Spago impresario has been hired to feed the 150 people who are each shelling out $40,000 to rub elbows with Obama at George Clooney's house this Thursday.
Our sources say Wolfgang and company have signed a confidentiality agreement and have been told in no uncertain terms to treat the event as top secret.
We're told there will be a special menu -- not the standard Wolfgang catering -- and, as one source put it, "The food is going to be a lot better than the Oscars" -- Wolfgang caters the Governor's Ball that follows the academy awards.


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Plenty of collectible T-shirts, figures, and other items available
If you're heading out to PAX East next weekend, you probably have a lot of extra spending money anyway, so why not stop by the PlayStation Worldwide Studios Community Exchange? That's "booth #608" in layman's terms, at the Boston Convention Center running from April 11th through the 13th.
Team leads from Media Molecule, Naughty Dog, Guerrilla, Sony Santa Monica, and Sony Xdev will be on hand for some good old-fashioned chats, and there's even an itinerary of things to do with the Sony family in addition to swiggity-swag you can purchase and schlep all the way home.
PlayStation will be offering a PlayStation Family Limited Edition PAX East 2014 shirt, limited to 500 total for $20 apiece. Make sure you get there early to fight each other to the death for one, or you could hit up Guerrilla for some sweet Killzone merch, including a toothpick holder that looks more like a shotglass. You could probably use it as a shotglass in a pinch.
Naughty Dog will be showcasing some The Last of Us goods, with an Ellie Pinny, a couple limited-edition T-shirts in exclusive colors, and The Last of Us: American Dreams graphic novel from Dark Horse Comics. Sony Santa Monica and Sony Xdev will have some God of War, Hohokum, and Sackboy trinkets as well. Tearaway fans will want to check out Media Molecule for some sweet Tearaway action that will also be given away in addition to being available for purchase.
inFamous Second Son fans will want to get their mitts on a limited run of a special Delsin statue going for $150. It'll be for sale one day only, with 77 units available on Saturday, April 12. So bring a lot of cash, or whatever.
Looks like there'll be plenty to drain your wallet if you're heading out to Boston next weekend. Let us know what you're planning on picking up, and bring me back something.
PAX East 2014: PlayStation WWS Community Exchange [PlayStation Blog]


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BarnaPossun is about all of us: a community of parents, babysitters, children, and the Babysits team. Curious about the role you play?
The parents
Finding a trustworthy babysitter online can be difficult. This is where BarnaPossun comes in. We provide a transparent platform so you can feel confident that your children are in the best hands.
If you are looking for a toddler wrangler, peek-a-boo player, diaper changer, tantrum averter, homework helper, or pillow fort builder, BarnaPossun has got you covered!
The babysitters
Do you like being your own boss and choosing your own hours and wage? Do you absolutely love kids and would like to gain relevant work experience and some extra cash?
The BarnaPossun community is the perfect place for toddler wranglers, peek-a-boo players, diaper changers, tantrum averters, homework helpers, or pillow fort builders!
The children
The children's safety and comfort is the number one priority. Measures such as government ID verification, reviews, references, and more eliminate parents' concerns.
Additionally, our community resources include childcare advice, DIYs, recipes, and activities to spend quality time with kids.
The Babysits team
BarnaPossun was founded in 2008. We were motivated by the idea of developing an easy-to-use platform that gives parents both freedom and peace of mind: Our mission of empowering communities around childcare globally was born.
Today, BarnaPossun consists of a motivated team working towards safe, accessible, and affordable childcare. We highly value transparency and continuous improvement.
What we stand for
Here at BarnaPossun, we believe in supporting social good and making sure that we leave a liveable planet for the children that are the heartbeat of our global community.
Because of this, Babysits has become a member of Leaders For Climate Action, an organization of like-minded businesses who have pledged to take action against carbon pollution and climate change. Among other things, we spend part of our revenue on removing CO₂ from the atmosphere.


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It said Fans Edge on the side of the box! What could it be? Freddie was right in there trying to rip it open.
I had to take the plastic off for Fred. Gloria was right in there too!
"What have you got Freddie?" "Is there something for me?"
Look, it's two stuffies! One for each of us!" "Not only that, look at the logo on their shirts Gloria!"
And the big stuffie.....that's Roary! Detroit Lions Mascot! Here's a picture of me with Roary at a Detroit Lions game at Ford Field.
How cool is that!
I finally had to step in and give Gloria her prize.
Fred laid on his so Gloria couldn't touch it. They played with them for a bit until Fred started to pull on Roary's hair then I had to intervene and take them away. These are just too special to be chewed to pieces, so they will be admiring them from afar in the football room!
So you see, it was really Caren who was up to the mischief by keeping it a secret about Fred and Gloria's prize!
We can't thank her and Cody enough for these special prizes from Cody's 5th Birthday and Cat Chat's 501 Blog Post Give-Away!
I also wish Caren a speedy recovery as she's been feeling kind of yucky lately and had some surgery on Friday.


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Researching the Genealogy and Family History of Orphan Heirlooms
Search our archive for Bibles, autograph albums, IDed photos, documents, correspondence, and other treasures from the past that may relate to your family or area. This project is ongoing, so please visit often.
Many items are available for purchase - Inquiries to heirlooms(dot)reunited(at)gmail.com
Sunday, February 20, 2011
CDV of Ed Carver; taken by Bangor, Maine Studio
Carte de Visite of "Uncle Ed. Carver" taken by Studio of H. C. & G. W. Call, Photo Artists, No. 2, Smith's Block, Bangor, Maine.
From online research, hopefully correct, and hopefully with the correct "Uncle Ed Carver":
Edward Kent Carver was born 13 December 1841 at Lagrange, Maine, the son of Cyrus and Mary A. (Waterhouse) Carver. His paternal grandparents were Nathan and Hannah (Matthews) Carver, born in Massachusetts and Maine respectively. His maternal grandparents were John and Elizabeth (Jackson) Waterhouse.
Edward Kent Carver served in the Civil War in Company B, Maine 20th Infantry Regiment. He mustered in on 29 August 1862 and mustered out 15 June 1864.
On 13 November 1870, Edward Kent Carver married Eunice Babson Merrill, who was born 30 October 1845 at Bangor, Maine, the daughter of Joseph Raynes Merrill and his wife Tamson Babson Gray. Her paternal grandparents were Charles R. and Eunice (Raynes) Merrill. I don't as yet have information on Tamson Babson Gray's parents.
The couple settled in Glenburn, Maine, which is adjacent to Bangor, and raised a family of six children: Cyrus W. Carver; Gertrude Carver; Mary Annie Carver; Joseph R. Carver; Margaret Merrill Carver; Mahala Maude Carver.
Edward Kent Carver died at Glenburn on 23 January 1899. His widow Eunice died at Glenburn on 18 February 1921.
If you have any corrections, additions or insights regarding the information presented here, please leave a comment or contact me directly. Thanks!
Visit the page of Edward Kent Carver and Eunice Babson Merrill at the Maine and Maritime Canada Genealogy network.
Map of Glenburn, Maine:
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Saving to CD-ROM, Erroneous Death Certificate Information, From Database to Microfilm, Prison Records
Rhonda's Tips, February 06, 2003
Saving to CD-ROM
Q: I would like to put my family tree on CD so that I can put it away where it is safe. What I need to know is how to save it to a CD so that I can get it back without having to retype everything. I copied it to CD before but when I tried to view it on my son's computer, it told me it was a read only file. -- Ed
A: Saving to a CD-ROM has become more popular now that CD burners or writers come standard as part of the new computers. There are actually two different types of CD-ROM burners. The first CD Writer can only write to a special recordable compact disc one time. These are frequently what someone is referring to when they mention a writer or a burner. In the last few years another type of CD drive has become available, and today is not too expensive. This one actually uses a rewritable compact disc. This means you can reformat the disc and copy over the files previously stored on it. Many of the newer computers are coming with this type of a drive as the standard. In fact, the more recent computers are now offering a drive that burns to a DVD disc in addition to the more familiar compact disc.
When you saved the file to CD, you actually did everything right, and the CD drive did what it was supposed to do. In fact it did it too well, you might say. You see, when you saved the files to the compact disc, the file attributes were changed slightly because of where you saved the files. Since the compact disc can be written to only once, the files cannot be changed, at least as far as the CD writer was concerned. So it made the files "read only." As you tried to open the files and to make changes, you were told you couldn't because the file was now "read only." This is actually an easy thing to fix in Windows. First, copy the file onto your computer. Then, open either the My Computer or the Windows Explorer on the machine where the files have been copied to and find the file in question. If it is a Family Tree Make file, then you are looking for the file that ends in the FTW extension. Right mouse this file, and a menu will appear. At the bottom of the menu, you will see an option labeled Properties. Left click on this option and a window will open. Among other things, you will see toward the bottom of that window a section titled Attributes. You should find that the file has a check mark in the box associated with Read Only. Simply left click on that check mark so that it goes away and then click on the OK push button and the file will be usable again.
In addition to saving your family file to a CD-ROM, you may also want to save the file as a GEDCOM as well. You never know when a file may become corrupted. Saving both versions of the file gives you many options. In addition to restoring the file you also have a way to use the file with a completely different genealogy program, perhaps at a library or on your son's computer.
You mentioned that you want to do this so that you could put your family somewhere and keep it safe. Let me say that this is certainly an important thing, and one that, unfortunately, few genealogists take the time to do. I would like to suggest, though, that you do this any time you have made a major change in the file. If your computer has a rewritable CD drive, then you may want to consider backing up this way more frequently because you can reuse the CD-ROM. If not, the cost of the recordable discs has come down considerably still making it economical to make backups in this fashion. Remember, though, that like all media types there is the potential for problems, another reason to perhaps save to more than one disc. They have said that compact discs have a life of about one hundred years. While this may be so, I wouldn't want to bet my genealogy on that. Burn a new disc each time you make considerable changes to your database and you might also want to try saving the file elsewhere -- such as on your Web site, you don't have to link to it and give it to everyone, but having it more than on your computer or discs in your care gives you additional protection.
Erroneous Death Certificate Information
Q: In researching my family, I obtained my grandparents' birth marriage, their child's birth and his death and my grandparents' death certificates. The person who filled out my father's New York State death certificate listed his parents as unknown, even though she knew the answers and entered the death records that way. I have the proof of his parents and would like to know how to have the "Proof" entered. I have also uncovered other "parents of" information to be wrong and I have the correct documents (i.e. census reports). Wouldn't you think the vital statistics of a State would like corrected information attached to erroneous certificates? -- Joan
A: There are only four fields on the death certificate that most states feel need to be accurate, and could result in a change of the record. Those include the name of the deceased, the date of death, the place of death, and the cause of death. Beyond this the rest of the information is not critical. As genealogists, we would love to see the certificate completely filled out and error-free since we are using the information to further the research of that person or line. Of course, while it may boggle our minds, the death certificates are recorded without concern for genealogists. Like so many of the records we use, they have been filed for an entirely different purpose, as a result the emphasis that the state may put on the certificate has to do with other things.
To the best of my knowledge the only time a certificate of any kind can be changed is when the pertinent information is wrong in some way, such as a child's name is misspelled on a birth certificate. Also most states have limitations as to when the change can take place. For instance in Florida for a fee and within so many weeks after the birth of my child I was given the opportunity to change her name. After that time, the only way to change the child's name would be to go through the regular court proceeding that anyone can do to have their name legally changed. Of course if it is just a spelling change there are some courts that will not waste the time for this because of idem sonans which basically is a legal term that says that if they sound alike though they are spelled slightly differently the person is one and the same.
In the case of the certificates you are describing, I think you will find that the states are not interested in issuing a revised certificate even though you have the identifying information that was either incorrect or unknown. It is more work than they can justify for information that they do not find critical for that particular record.
It is just this scenario, though, that illustrates the importance of getting more than just the certificates for our direct lineage. To often we narrow our research to just the direct line and as such get records on only those individuals. However, as your question shows, sometimes the information on those records may be incomplete or flat out wrong. By getting the death certificates on the siblings of the grandparents as well as the grandparents, you have other records (usually completed by different informants) which may result in information when none was known previously.
In a perfect world, genealogists would never see unknown in any field of any certificate. Since this doesn't always happen, what you can do is to share your genealogy, being mindful to protect information on any living relatives, with sources cited, so that others who come along after you will have your work to build from or to lead them down the correct path.
From Database to Microfilm
Q: On the New York City, 1600s-1800s Marriage Index I found a marriage I was looking for. At the end in comments it says "See Family History Library Catalog for films 1543791-1562446 (Manhattan)". Does this refer to LDS film records? -- Ken
A: Yes, what you refer to as the LDS film records are those records that are found in the Family History Library located in Salt Lake City which is owned by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The database from which you received the above comment has supplied you with a valuable clue. There are a number of databases online that offer such comments, though they usually lead you to a specific volume and page number. It is possible that the entry you were looking at did this as well.
Additional identifying information is critical to your research in Manhattan. A quick search of the Family History Library Catalog, or FHLC, for the microfilm number 1562446 showed me the catalog entry for Manhattan marriage records from 1866 to 1937, with an index covering the same years. At then end of the title details page, it lists the total number of microfilm reels, and for this particular collection it is on 1,447 reels of film. That's just a few too many to order to your local Family History Center. So, if the entry in question didn't lead you to either a volume and page number, or more likely in the case of Manhattan's marriages to a year and a certificate number, your first stop will have to be with the Family History Library Catalog to find out which of the index films would be the most appropriate for your search.
The easiest way to find this information in the FHLC is to use the Film/Fiche search and put in the second of the two microfilm numbers. When I put in the first one you shared I was taken to a catalog entry for York County, Ontario, in Canada, so something isn't right about that number. The second film number though took me right to the marriages of Manhattan.
Manhattan is one of the better boroughs if you do have to use the index to find your ancestor's marriage, especially when what you know is the name of the bride. Not all of the boroughs have indexes to the brides, making research a little more difficult.
You will be able to borrow the films needed to your local Family History Center. Something like this would not need the extensions of either 90 days or indefinite loan, as it is likely that you will need just the one certificate on the roll of film. Though it is nice to know that on those films that you need to take your time with that such options exist.
Prison Records
Q: Are there prison records from the 1800's available to search? -- Maggie
A: Prisons as we know them today have been in existence for more than 200 years. The first prison was the Walnut Street Jail in Philadelphia which opened in 1790. This was soon followed by the Auburn Jail at Auburn, New York, which opened in 1816. Most of the prisons today are modeled after that of the Auburn Jail.
Prisons fall under one of four authorities: federal, state, local, and military. The difference in the authority may affect the records you have access to and where those records may be found. All prisons are listed in the Directory, Juvenile and Adult Correctional Departments, Institutions, Agencies and Paroling Authorities published by the American Correctional Association. Most public libraries will have a copy of this directory, which numbers more than 850 pages.
There are different records generated by the prisons and they may differ by prison, authority or time period. Many of the records will include some identifying information and a few will give you some information about the inmates family. Some of the records to keep a look out for include
- Admission Books
- Register of Prisoners
- Biographical Registers
- Hospital Record Books
- Descriptive Records
- Convict Dockets
- Clemency Files
- Pardon Books
- Discharge Books
It doesn't hurt to search the Internet when looking for something like this, especially for records in the 1800s. Many genealogists are abstracting, extracting or transcribing such information to share online. You may also find that the records you are interested in are available on microfilm through the Family History Library and therefore to your local Family History Center. A search in the Family History Library Catalog for the state or county in question is a good place to start. You will want to pay attention to the subject headings after you have done the place search and chosen the appropriate place from the list that is displayed. When you view the subjects, you will be looking for a subject heading of "correctional institutions." While you may not find all of the records mentioned above, I have found that if they have any records from a prison that they usually have at least one of those registers or books that details the admission of inmates.
If you find that the records have not been microfilmed, you will want to turn to the entries in the book mentioned above to get the contact information for the prison in question. Writing or call them and find out where their records have been stored. Many times they end up at the state archives or some other repository designed to preserve the records and history of the state, county or town. They may also be able to tell you of any restrictions to access that the records may have.
Rhonda R. McClure is a professional genealogist specializing in celebrity trees and computerized genealogy. She has been involved in online genealogy for fifteen years. She is an award-winning author of several genealogy how-to books, including The Complete Idiot's Guide to Online Genealogy, The Genealogist's Computer Companion, and Finding Your Famous and Infamous Ancestors. She may be contacted at [email protected].
See more advice from Rhonda in her columns Expert Tips, Tigs and Trees, and Overheard in the Message Boards.


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The Washington Redskins announced today that they have named Randy Jordan as Running Backs Coach.
Jordan is a veteran of nine NFL seasons as a player from 1993-2002, appearing in 122 career games with the Raiders and Jaguars.
He was the recipient of the NFL Unsung Hero Award and the Ed Block Courage Award in 2001 and served as special teams captain for the Raiders' AFC Championship team in 2002.
Jordan spent the last two years as the running backs coach at the University of North Carolina.
In his first season with UNC in 2012, Jordan's Tar Heels averaged 193.8 rushing yards per game, third-most in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
That season, he tutored tailback Giovani Bernard – who played for current Redskins Head Coach Jay Gruden in Cincinnati in 2013 – to one of the best seasons in UNC history, helping Bernard average 122.8 rushing yards per game, most in the ACC and 11th in the nation.
Jordan began his coaching career in 2003 as a special teams assistant with the Oakland Raiders.
From 2004-07, he served as running backs coach at the University of Nebraska, producing 1,000-yard rushers in both 2004 and 2007.
Following his time with Nebraska, Jordan oversaw the running backs at Texas A&M from 2008-11.
In 2011, the Aggies averaged 199.1 rushing yards per game, fourth-most in the Big 12 Conference, and had two different backs – Cyrus Gray and Christine Michael – finish among the top five in the conference in rushing yards per game.
Jordan played collegiately at North Carolina from 1989-92. He rushed for 1,134 yards and nine touchdowns in his career, including 618 yards and seven touchdowns in 1991.
He earned his degree in speech communication from UNC in 1993.
Jordan, 43, is a native of Manson, N.C.
1989-92: Running Back, North Carolina
1993: Running Back, Los Angeles Raiders
1995-97: Running Back, Jacksonville Jaguars
1998-2002: Running Back, Oakland Raiders
*2003: * Special Teams Assistant, Oakland Raiders
2004-07: Running Backs Coach, Nebraska
*2008-11: * Running Backs Coach, Texas A&M
2012-13: Running Backs Coach, North Carolina
2014: Running Backs Coach, Washington Redskins


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Found in the Dragonborn DLC.
30 Rain's Hand 4E10
Received a letter from the East Empire Company today. They say that some of the miners broke through the wall in shaft three of Raven Rock Mine and found some ruins. I hope this isn't another waste of time like that fiasco they sent me to in Cyrodiil. I'll gather my assistant, Millius and sail back to Raven Rock at first light... it'll be nice to see the old house in Solstheim again.
7 Second Seed 4E10
Finally arrived in Raven Rock and was surprised at the number of dark elf refugees living in town. They aren't really from mining stock, but I think they'll make fine workers one day. Millius and I spent a good part of the day clearing the ash off of the roof of my house. The damn volcano is still erupting almost day and night. If it wasn't for the ash covering everything it would almost look beautiful.
8 Second Seed 4E10
Millius and I are headed into Raven Rock Mine to have look at whatever it is the miners uncovered. I think I'll stop by the old Swing and Scoop and pick up a few supplies before we head down. Couldn't hurt to be prepared.
9 Second Seed 4E10
Looks like the miners broke right through the wall of an old Nordic barrow. I've seen this sort of thing in Skyrim before... damn Nords have barrows dotting the landscape and almost none of them are ever marked on any maps. Looks like this barrow belong to something called the "Bloodskal Clan." I'm going to take some rubbings of the inscriptions on the tombs and see if I can't learn some more information from my history books.
10 Second Seed 4E10
It's been a few days and I can't find even a single mention of this clan anywhere. Millius and I decided to proceed ahead. We've come to a dropdown point, but I can see a massive chamber below. Took the better part of a day to lower everything down and climb down the almost sheer drop.
11 Second Seed 4E10
It's been an astonishing day of discovery! After exploring the large chamber beyond the dropoff, I was startled to find the strangest weapon I've ever laid eyes upon sitting on a pedestal of sorts. The blade appears to be flawless, and is emitting a faint chilling glow. Bits of parchment I found about the chamber seem to call this "The Bloodskal Blade." Not certain if I should remove it yet, I think I'll sleep on it.
12 Second Seed 4E10
I've decided against my own better judgment to remove the Bloodskal Blade from its pedestal. Millius seems completely against it, but we need to bring this wondrous artifact with us when we find a way out of the barrow.
13 Second Seed 4E10
I should have listened to Millius. The moment the blade was lifted, we were set upon by draugr. Millius fought bravely, but he fell. I was able to destroy the remaining ones, but I was badly wounded. I can barely stand. My only chance would be finding a way out of this place, but I fear that I'm trapped.
14? Second Seed 4E10
Exploring has been slow. I can only move for maybe a few minutes at a time before I have to rest. My supplies are running low, and I'm feeling weaker by the hour. The only progress I've made is finding a strange door with markings on it that I've never seen.
There appears to be something to them I'm missing, as they've confounded my attempts at getting through. I'll have to study this further in order to make any progress... barely can keep awake.
I'm fairly certain that the key to the door involves the use of the Bloodskal Blade. When swinging the weapon, I'm noticing a ribbon of mystical energy emanating from it. I think by swinging the sword in different directions, it's possible to manipulate this ribbon and solve whatever puzzle this door presents. I hope to get well enough to put this to the test soon... each swing is a huge effort.
Last entry
I've lost track of time and my strength is fading. I can't even stand anymore. My wounds refuse to heal. I'm afraid this tomb will become my resting place. If anyone finds this journal, please send these notes to my superiors at the East Empire Company and tell my wife that I love her.
May Arkay guide me to my final rest.